LIGHT BRAHMA HEN SUDDENLY DIED!!

[poultry person]

I have a flock fifteen (now fourteen) and yesterday our light brahma hen, Haliwir kept laying down and panting. It wasn't that hot out but she did it anyways, our two roosters tried to chase her down to mate with her but they didn't look like they were hurting her. Then this morning my little sister found her dead on her back inside of the coop, so I took a look at her (with gloves!) and she felt really bloated and her vent was all purple. What happened?!

 

[poultry person]

Help me!!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

oh no..... THIS looks like a BAD illness... possibly Marecks?

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

so sorry!

 

[poultry person]

oh no..... THIS looks like a BAD illness... possibly Marecks?

Yikes! I thought that was what my roo had!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

was she vaccinated for Marecks?

 

[poultry person]

was she vaccinated for Marecks?

No she had no vaccines, but I never saw her limping.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

hmm... can you see any parasites on her? have you seen any worms in their feces?

 

[red horse ranch]

Sounds to me like she may have been egg bound.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

If her abdomen was bloated then it sounds like she had ascites which is a build up of fluid in the belly. There are a number of things that can cause it but in a larger bird like a Brahma, it may be related to her diet. What do you feed them including treats and how many do you have in your flock? How old was she and how old are your roosters? Stress from over mating can cause other illness issues and it is one of the prime causes of Marek's outbreaks in my experience.... nothing to suggest this is Marek's with this girl but you also can't rule it out. The only way to know for certain what she died of it t send her off for a professional necropsy but if you can't do that for whatever reason and you are not too squeamish, you could cut her open yourself and see if there is anything unusual. If you do, take photos of all her internal organs.... pay particular attention to the colour and texture of her liver and how much fat there is in her body.
My gut feeling is that she probably died from Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome where the liver becomes unstable and eventually ruptures.